The Return
by Shelby-14
Summary: Sawyer and Kate finally escape from the Other's island, where they were held prisoner.
1. Free at last

Paddling through the rough waters as fast as they could, Sawyer and Kate were finally getting away from it all. Getting away from the hell that they had endured during the past week. Their hearts felt lighter and they knew that they were almost back. They were almost home.

"Freckles, check on the kid. That's a pretty nasty bruise I gave him." You could hear the slight shakiness in his voice, which was even weird for his tough exterior to be releasing. He still felt ashamed of how he had accidently hit the teen with the butt of his gun. It wasn't his fault that he had ran out of the jungle and scared the living shit out of him.

Kate turned around and looked at Sawyer for the first time since they had left land. She heard the worrisome tone in his voice and, strangely enough, enjoyed seeing him acting so protective for someone other than her. Slowly and carefully, Kate crawled over to the semi-conscious boy and began to check if he was alright.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Uhh.. " Kate couldn't remember his name. She was never good with them.

"The name's Karl, and yes, I'm fine!" The boy suddenly jerked up and just barely knocked Kate out of the boat, if it weren't for Sawyer grabbing her to steady her. Karl seemed to be dizzy and acting almost as if he were drunk.

"Hey jungle boy, you mind sitting down while me and Freckles here try to get us back on some land?" Sawyer was beginning to become angry, but acting more like his normal nick-name self. "Don' know if it's just me, but I'm sure sick of these shark-infested waters!"

Karl seemed to calm down after Sawyer mentioned "shark". He layed back down and quickly passed out.

Kate began to paddle again, but she knew she would have to stop sometime soon. Her energy level was decreasing fast and she was weak and starving.

"Got a surprise for ya, Freckles." He grinned and pulled out a dirty fish biscuit. Kate had knew she could get so excited over a polar bear treat in her life. Sawyer split the biscuit into two, but sparing some of his portion for when-or if- Karl woke up.

As the two munched on the biscuits, the silence between them was too much for Kate. It was the first time since they had been laying together back at the cages, that they had time to just sit there and speak.

Kate was reminiscing back to at the cages, when Sawyer was kneeling in front of her, about to give up his life for her. Sawyer saw the look on her face and his curious-nature wanted into her mind.

"What'chea thinkin' 'bout, Freckles?", he said, to break the silence. Kate hated how he could always tell when she was thinking deeply about something, usually him. "Wonderin' what ol' Doc is up to on Hell Island?"

Kate had almost forgotten about Jack. She felt horrible about leaving him behind, but in the back of her mind, she felt like he knew about her and Sawyer. About.. what was happening between them. Kate needed to ask Sawyer. She needed to know.

"Why did you just give up, Sawyer? Why didn't you fight.. back at the cages. You could have killed Pickett. We could have gotten away but you just.. just let him.." Kate's voice began to split. She could feel the tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Sawyer sighed. He knew this was coming. "I had no choice, Freckles. Couldn' let them take you away from me…"

"So you thought it would be better if they took you!?" Her anger was beginning to spill out. It had built up inside of her for so long. She couldn't think of a better place to unleash it than in the middle of the ocean and with the only other person who also had a temper so strong.

"Your life is more important than mine! I done so many things that I regret Freckles, bet the devil would be even be ashamed of me down there. "

Kate barely heard the last part. All she could think of was "your life is more important than mine". How could he think that? Sure, he had a rough history, but hell, so did she! "He's done so many good things," thought Kate. Sacrificed his shoulder for his friend's child, saved a man's life, protected and helped others around camp. Tears were slowly seeping down her cheeks now. Not of anger, but of sadness. Of how he could ever think that his life was pointless.

Slowly, Kate crawled near him and held her hand to his cheek, caressing the stubble and scars that were there. She kissed him slowly but passionately, letting him know that he ment the world to her. Sawyer could feel her hot tears on his face now.

Foreheads leaning against one another, she whispered "Don't ever think that your life isn't important. Ever." She made sure that he was looking directly into her eyes.

He could tell the sincerity in her eyes staring back at him. "I love you."


	2. Truth or dare

As Karl slept away in the boat, Sawyer and Kate decided to play an innocent game of truth or dare as they paddled closer towards home.

"Truth," said Sawyer, "But no more questions about me wearing pink!" Kate had to giggle. She loved the way he always made her smile, even when he didn't try.

"Have you ever taken dancing lessons?" Kate was barely able to contain her laughter when she saw his reaction to the random question.

"What the hell kinda question is that!" He couldn't help but grin at those freckles that always scrunched together when she smiled.

"Just answer the question, Tex!"

Sawyer sighed, dreading to have to answer the strange question. "Fine, yes, okay? In pre-school, the teachers said some bull-pocky about me having 'improper balance'.. so my mama put me into – oh, wipe that smile off your face! - .. into ballet."

Kate couldn't stop her laugh attack from exploding. She could just picture little James, trying to keep up with the little girls parading around.

"Now your turn. And I'm gonna make this good," said Sawyer.

Suddenly, the boat jerked and Sawyer just barely saved himself from falling out. "What the hell.."

"Too late. We're already home."

Sawyer looked out, expecting to see the large sea, but saw that they had already reached their beach. He was so into the game that he hadn't even realized the island.

They were home.


	3. Home Yawn

The sun was setting and most of camp had already headed to bed. The occasional quiet conversation was heard from a distance, but it was pretty much silent.

Sawyer quickly jumped onto land and kissed the beach, not even caring about the sand fleas. "Thank friggin' God!" he yelled.

Suddenly, Kate saw a large shadow walking at a quick pace towards them. She grabbed Sawyer's arm and pointed. He stepped in front of her and quickly pulled out his gun, even though he very well knew that it was empty.

"Well, look who we have here!" 

Sawyer was relieved to hear the familiar face of the hunter. Locke stood there, seeming very interested how Kate was now holding onto Sawyer's hand.

Kate noticed this, and immediately released his hand.

"John.. we uh.. we were captured by them.. the others.. and.. they.. Jack.. Henry Gale.. Karl.." Kate let a huge un-lady-like yawn escape from her mouth. She was obviously very tired and still shaken up over what happened.

Locke realized this also. "Alright, Kate, you need your beauty sleep. How about you two tell me all about what happened out there in the morning. "

The relief on Kate's face when Locke said this was thankful. Kate began to walk away towards her tent when she noticed that Sawyer wasn't following. "Sawyer, you comin'?"

"Nah, you go ahead Freckles. Me and Johnny Boy need to have a quick chat about Jungle Boy here before bed time. I'll be over soon." He gave her a friendly wink before she smiled and walked away, slightly disappointed.

After Sawyer finished telling John about Karl and how he was one of the others but had been a prisoner, Locke didn't seem completely satisfied. "So what's going on with you and Kate, James?"

"What the hell you talkin' 'bout, Mr Clean?" But Sawyer knew exactly what he was talking about.

Locke smiled and continued to sharpen his knife. He looked up and said, "You're tired, James. How about you get some sleep now. I'll wake Sayid and we'll bring your friend over there to shore." He looked over towards the sleeping figure in the boat. "I'm sure we'll be able to get quite a few answers from him.."

Sawyer always got a creepy feeling from Locke, always feeling like he was hiding something from him. "Well, you and Muhammad go and do that. Now if you 'scuse me, I'm gonna go get some of the first shut eye I've had in a damn week."

As Sawyer walked towards his tent, he expected to see Kate inside, waiting for him. Instead, he found nothing but his stash completely trashed and torn apart. "Those son of a .. " Suddenly, he heard a slight noise. He grabbed a flashlight and a few meters away, saw the small figure of Kate sleeping against the make-shift wall of his tent.

Sawyer couldn't help but smile. She looked so peaceful and at rest, the most she looked in days. Quietly, he gently lifted her up and placed her in his bed, covering her up with a blanket. Before leaving, he kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "Night, Freckles."


	4. Mornin'

Kate woke up the next morning with a slight headache. She wasn't so used to the bright sun in the mornings, since the cages were in the middle of the jungle, hiding the light.

She was sort of confused as well. How did she end up in the bed, when she distinctly remembered waiting for Sawyer to return by leaning against the tent, simply resting her eyes. This island truly was creepy.

Instantly, she looked around for Sawyer and began to panic a little. He wasn't in his tent. She had always been a woman who could depend on herself, but ever since they spent that week on the Other's island, she felt as if she needed Sawyer with her to feel safe. She hated to admit it but it was the truth.

Kate ran out of the tent. It was strange to wake up in Sawyer's. She looked around, panic-stricken. She ran up to Locke, who was ironically, passing by. "John, where's –"

Strangely enough, it was as if Locke knew exactly who she was looking for. He pointed towards the tent and there, sleeping on the airplane seat, was Sawyer, who looked extremely uncomfortable. Kate could have laughed, except she felt sorry that she had somehow taken his own sleeping spot.

Kate looked back for Locke but he was already gone. Weird man, she thought.

Sawyer looked like an angel when he slept. The anger wrinkles which always seemed to show when he was awake were all settled out, leaving him look so peaceful and worry-free. The bright sun highlighted his tan body – God, he's gorgeous!, she thought. Even his dimples showed when he wasn't smiling. This was Kate's favorite part of him physically. Those dimples just made her day.

"God, you're beautiful," she said, perhaps a little too loud. Suddenly, Sawyer began to tickle her and she collapsed onto him, giggling like a little girl.

"Well, thanks, sweetheart, but ain't I suppose' to be the handsome one?" Kate was happy to see him wake up, those dazzling blue eyes staring back intently at her.

She smiled at him and began to trace her finger along his palm as she held it. She always seemed to enjoy doing this. So did he. "Why are you sleeping out here? Thought you were sick of sleeping outdoors, after cage-life. "

Sawyer stared at her nose. He did this often as they talked. He always tried to count how many freckles she had, but he always ended up losing count. "I woulda been in there, dreamin' up a storm as we speak, if it weren't for some sleepin' beauty who went and stole my spot. " He kissed her nose lightly.

Kate was about to say that she hadn't even fallen asleep in his bed, but Sawyer didn't want to tell her the real reason why he let her sleep in his mansion. He instead, changed the subject.

"So, Freckles, what do you think we should do about our situation. " Kate looked at him funny, as if she were confused. "You know, us being .. together.."

Kate began to smile. "Oh, so we're together now, huh?" For a split second, she saw a hurt expression on Sawyer's face, but he quickly changed that with a look of frustration.

"We can be whatever you want, sweet cheeks, just as long as you'll stay still long enough for me to count the damn freckles on your face!" He suddenly grabbed her face and made her stay still, while she struggled to get away from his strong grasp.

After a few minutes of being a silly little couple, the two realized that they were both starving. They quickly changed into some clean clothes (Kate was rather pleased about this, being relieved to get out of that girly tank top) and went walking around the beach to search for some breakfast. Little did they remember that noone else other than Locke and Sayid knew that they were home.


	5. Heated discussions at breakfast

The new couple soon realised how much they had missed home. Kate missed interacting with people other than Sawyer (not that she minded him) and enemies. Sawyer missed and had almost forgotten some of the nicknames of his fellow survivors. They were both thrilled to be back. But not everyone was.

The first person they came across with was Charlie. He seemed completely shocked that they were home, but relieved at the same time, almost as if he didn't have to do as much work with them back. But most of all, he seemed very distant. "Bloody hell! You're back.. Welcome home, guys! Uh.. I have to go.. do something.." he said, and ran off towards Hurley, like he needed to discuss something important with him.

"Wonder what's crawlin' up that one's pants.." reacted Sawyer. He had a feeling that it had something to do with his stash being ran-sacked, but he tried to keep his composure for Kate. It quickly left his mind. Wow, he thought. That wasn't so bad. Maybe he could try that more often.

It was almost like an instant reaction now, for Kate and Sawyer to hold hands. It felt like they were one, as if they were born conjoined at the hands. It was a strange sight for the other survivors though. They got a lot of confused stares, but quite a few friendly smiles and even some hugs from their closer friends, Sun, Claire, Jin and Sayid.

As Sawyer, Kate and some others gathered around for breakfast of the last of the Dharma bacon and hash browns, they got a lot of questions sent their way.

"What did they make you do?"

"Did you see anyone you recognized from the plane?"

"What technologies did they have?"

"What did you guys eat?"

The last one was obviously thought of by Hurley. He quickly waddled over to the two and gave them some huge bear hugs. He practically lifted Kate off the sand, and when he inched towards Sawyer, he protectively put his hand up and said, "Sorry, Jethro, but I'll be takin' just a handshake."

"Missed you dudes! Camp hasn't been the same without you guys." He seemed extremely pleased that the two were back. But he was a little confused… "Hey.. where's Jack?"

Everyone seemed to gravitate towards Kate and Sawyer as soon as this question was asked. Jack had been their leader, the one they looked towards for advice, for direction.

Kate looked up at Sawyer and he knew that she wanted him to tell them. "Uhh.. after we escaped, we managed to take a walkie-talkie with us. The doc messaged us and.. told us to leave him behind." Sawyer was starting to feel guilty for obeying Jack's wants. "He said.. to never come back. "

"You lying son-of-a bitch!", suddenly yelled Sayid. He stood up and walked closer to Sawyer, forcing him to stand up as well. "You just left him behind on purpose. You wanted this-"

"You think that we wanted to leave Jack behind?!" retorted Kate. She was beginning to fume with rage. "We begged him to come back, we said that we could find a way to get him out, but he wouldn't listen to us."

"You two are lying. I have spent over half of my life working to understand and point out liars and you-"

"I'd think of gettin' another career, brother," someone suddenly said from behind a tree. "'Cause these two lovebirds are tellin' the truth."

The fellow Scotsman Desmond walked into view. He still seemed to not have changed out of the Hurley's large shirt. Thankfully, he had found some pants to wear.

"And how do you know that?" asked Sayid. He always got a strange feeling from the man. Then again, the whole island had trust issues.

Desmond looked out to sea, as if he was watching something particularly interesting. "Trust me." Standing behind Desmond was Hurley, who stared at him with an almost scared look in his eyes.

"Well," Sawyer spoke, rubbing his hands together, "Don' know if it's just me, but my breakfast was ruined. Think I'll head out to the ol' hatch to grab a shower. Freckles, you wanna join-"

"Sorry James, but you won't be getting another shower for a while," said Locke, who popped out of nowhere again. He was so mysterious. "The hatch imploded, leaving nothing except a huge mess behind."

This left both Sawyer and Kate puzzled. Just as Sawyer was going to throw out a snappy comeback, Kate stopped him with her hand on his arm and spoke. "How did it implode?"

Locke glanced at Desmond, who was now staring creepily into Vincent's eyes, slowly petting him. "None of that matters now.. we have to think about the future."

Sawyer could feel Kate's grip on his arm begin to tighten. He was also getting a little freaked by these people. Locke noticed this and immediately, went back to his normal leader state. "Theres a couple of make-shift showers that were built by Michael down by the caves. Those should do for now."

As Sawyer and Kate began to walk back to his tent to get some towels, they were stopped for a moment by Hurley.

"Need somethin', Hoss?" cocked Sawyer. Kate was proud of him for not using one of his more cruel nicknames this time.

"Uh, yeah.. just wanted to tell you something," said Hurley. He seemed very serious. "Desmond.. he's.. special."

Kate gave a quick laugh but then saw that Hurley was serious, and stopped abruptly.

"Whatch'you mean he's special?", said Sawyer. He was, likewise, questioning Hurley's mental status." Like he's Ghandi or somethin', just 'cause he pushed a damn button for 3 years?"

"God damnit, man, you don't understand!" Hurley was getting upset and had a crazy look in his eyes, sort of like after the hatch had been opened and Kate heard Hurley repeating the numbers over and over. "Desmond knows things.. things that none of us could ever.. " He sighed. "Just.. forget it. Whatever. Later dudes."

As they watched the millionaire waddle away down the beach, the two knew something was fishy about their island.

"Something's going on," said Kate, looking up at Sawyer. "And we need to figure out what happened at the hatch."


	6. Danger still here?

Chapter 6

Danger still here?

Sawyer and Kate were walking back from the caves, after finishing their showers. After playfully trying to keep Sawyer from peeking at her, Kate dried her long hair with a towel. To annoy her, he wretched his head back and forth like a dog, and sprayed water all over her.

"Hey!", screamed Kate, holding her towel up to protect her from the cold water being sprinkled onto her. "Enough with the water-works, alright? I've had my shower limit for this week."

"Well, Sasafrass," said Sawyer with that mischievous grin, "Wouldn' hafta dry my goldie-locks if Blockhead back on Hell Island woulda gotten me that damn blow-dryer he promised."

Kate thought back to the island. It made her feel uneasy. Then she thought of Jack. How could they have left him? Maybe Sayid was right. Maybe they did it on purpose. Maybe they had made the wrong choice. Maybe they should have-

Kate realized that Sawyer was staring at her again. Lately, he couldn't stop this annoying habit. Everytime she turned her head, she'd see his electric-blue eyes darting back at her, as if they were x-raying into her thoughts.

Suddenly, Sawyer abruptly stopped. He had a stunned look on his face. Kate tried to make a joke out of it, trying to lighten the mood. "What, you smell blood on the wind?", repeating one of his lines.

But Sawyer didn't reply. He, instead, ran ahead and that's when Kate realized that he was staring at. Standing there, was Eko. He was badly bruised, and looked like he had been thrown around by some savage beast. He just stood there, smiling at the two.

Before Sawyer could reach the man, Eko put up his hand and stopped him. "Hello, Sawyer. Kate."

"What the hell happened to you, Eko? We should get you back to camp. Grab his arm, Sawyer-"

"I'm fine, Kate," said the Nigerian. He sounded as if he was almost slurring his words. As if they were in some sort of messed-up dream. "I am here to deliver a message to you two."

Kate and Sawyer looked at each other, with a confused expression on each of their faces. What was he talking about? Why didn't he just tell them the message after they brought him back to the beach?

Sawyer realized that his eyes were slowly turning black. Maybe this was some sort of side-effect from his injuries, he thought. Eko spoke again. "Karl. Do not believe what he tells you. He will lie. For a long time, he will lie." He had a spooky look in his dark eyes.

"Wha.. how do you know about jungle boy?", asked Sawyer, completely perplexed of this man's knowledge.

"And the hatch," added Eko. "Whatever happened there.. it's nothing that needs more detail. What's done is done. " He stared into space, as if he was extremely interested in something behind them, and said "Goodbye. And good luck."

As Mr. Eko began to walk past them, Sawyer and Kate exchanged a quick glance, to reassure themselves that they weren't just imagining things. But as soon as they returned their gaze towards where Eko stood, he was gone.

After a few moments of silence, Kate spoke. "Where did he go?"

"No idea, Freckles," replied Sawyer quietly. "But I don' see a point in following Shaft. Let's get the hell outta this jungle of mystery."

As soon as Sawyer and Kate got back to the beach, slightly out of breath from their quick and scared pace, they rushed over to Sayid. They didn't exactly have anything planned to say to him, but they needed to tell someone.

"Sayid," said Kate, who sort of felt bad for disturbing his mid-afternoon prayer. "We.. uh.. we need to tell you something."

Immediately, Sayid forgot about his worshipping and stood up. He looked from Kate, then to Sawyer. It seemed as if he still didn't exactly trust them for their word about Jack. "What is it you want from me?"

Sawyer stepped forward a bit. He didn't exactly know what to say. Stupidly, he asked, "Have you seen Eko around?"

Kate had to smile at the spur-of-the-moment question. After all of the snappy comebacks and nicknames he usually thought up of, he had come up with a pretty dumb question.

Sayid looked at Sawyer seriously, and stepped towards him and Kate, as if he wanted to keep his answer secretive. "Mr. Eko was killed two days ago."

He must have seen the two's expressions as he said this. He looked at both of them quickly, and continued. "Why do you ask this?"

Neither of them barely heard this question. Kate was immediately questioning her and Sawyer's sanity. Had they met his spirit in the jungle? It hadn't been the first time Kate had seen a supposedly-ghost, as she remembered the familiar black horse her and Sawyer had met. Sawyer was more concerned for Eko. If it hadn't been for that man, he probably wouldn't be alive today. He had carried him through the jungle to get him to medical help, when noone else would. This man had been someone who he had honored, who was willing to help him, even with his snide comments.

Kate snapped back into reality, and quickly replied to Sayid's question. "Uh.. no reason.. just wondering.. well, we'll keep him in our prayers.." She grabbed Sawyer's hand and at a fast pace, pulled him towards her own tent.

"Sawyer, if Eko's dead, then what the hell were we talking to back there?"

Sawyer was still in shock, scared to look at Kate, for tears were beginning to form slowly in his eyes. He looked away, ashamed, towards the ocean, where he saw Karl, sitting by the signal fire. He seemed to be very keen towards the flames, but suddenly, he looked up and glared at Sawyer. Though it could have been the blurriness of his tears playing tricks on his mind, he saw that the teenager was holding onto a walkie-talkie, which he quickly hid in his back pocket as he saw that Sawyer was staring. He then, stood up and quickly walked off.

"Sawyer? Sawyer, what's wrong?"

Kate's worried voice rung in his ears as he slowly slunked into the warm sand and passed out into a horrible nightmare.


	7. Dream or something else?

Chapter 7

Dream or something else?

"Sawyer and Kate.. What did you do to them! You son of a bitches, if you laid a finger on either of them, I swear to Go-"

_It was Jack. He was sitting in a room that looked similar to an aquarium. Glass walls which looked very strong. Jack was caught off guard and the blonde woman- Juliet; he thought of her name- had shocked him with one of the tazers. Sawyer stood behind the glass, unable to move. He felt rigid, as if he'd been paralyzed. He tried to scream, to get Jack's attention, but nothing came out._

_Jack was now on the floor, flailing around, unable to control his body movements as the jolt circulated through his body. Juliet stared at him for a few moments, with that unnerving smirk curling onto her lips. She then, grabbed the walkie-talkie from her back pocket and pressed down on the button. _

"_Are you back at their camp? What did you find? Well, did you begin the plan yet?" Sawyer couldn't make out what was being said on the walkie, but he could hear everything Juliet was speaking. Her expression changed to an impatient look of anger. "Damnit Karl, we aren't made out of time here! We need to take the right ones this time.." She seemed to calm down. After a few minutes, she said "Do they suspect anything? Remember, when it's time, call the security system-" _

_All of a sudden, Jack kicked Juliet in the shins and she tumbled to the ground. Though he had incredibly mustered up the strength to fight back, he was still very unsteady. As he stumbled towards the door, it swung open, revealing a young lady with long dark hair. She seemed to recognize Jack and looked shocked, but slightly relieved to see Juliet not on her feet. _

_Juliet began to stand up and was about to grab her tazer again, when Alex slung a rock at head head with a sling-shot, knocking her out. Alex ran over to her, grabbed her by her blonde hair and screamed at her unconscious face. "Where's Karl? What did you people do to him! ANSWER ME!"_

_She sat there on the floor beside the woman's body for a while, until she had calmed down. She turned to look at Jack, who was staring at her in confusion. _

"_What's your name. We need to get you out of here."_

"_Sawyer? Sawyer, wake up! What's wrong with him?!"_

Suddenly, Sawyer woke up with a huge migraine. His head was throbbing with pain, and his heart was racing so fast, it felt as if he was having a heart attack. He felt hot and sweaty, but none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was what had happened in that dream.

Kate was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes. He was still shaking consistently, but was comforted by her presence. She had one hand holding onto his, the other stroking at his dirty blonde hair.

"Sawyer, are you alright?" asked Kate, obviously shaken up by what had just happened. "God, you scared me half to death! I was just talking to you and then I turned around and there you were, passed out on-"

"Where's Karl?" quickly said Sawyer. He had never had a dream so realistic, so life-like. But he knew that it was his responsibility to protect the camp. From whatever Karl and the others were planning.

Sayid was on his left side, wetting a cloth with water from a bottle. He attempted to put it on his forehead, to stop the swelling but Sawyer quickly pushed it away. "Sawyer, you need to relax. You bruised your head badly on the tent pole as you were walking, and practically had a minor-concussion. And besides, you've been through a lot this past week-"

"You don' know what the hell we've been through, Ali! And you also don' have any friggin' idea what the hell I just saw!"

His yelling got the attention of the camp. They were all staring intently at Sawyer.

Locke stepped forward, cautiously. "And just what did you see, James?"

Sawyer just stared at him. He looked into those eyes of his, that seemed never willing to let up their faith in this damn island. It was as if John knew what he had seen, but simply wanted the other survivors to know about it as well.

He stood up, staggering slightly, and replied, "Just forget it, alright?"

He took a step forward, but practically fell over, if it weren't for Jin who held him upright. He spoke some Korean words, which Sawyer predicted meant something along the lines of 'Sit back down, Sawyer.'

"No can do, Chewie. I'm as fine as sunshine." Obviously, he was not. He began to stumble away in a different direction, until he caught Kate's eye. He was amazed how by one glance, she could flip him over like a pancake. He knew that the look in her gaze meant that she wanted him to rest. And he too, deep down, knew he needed to lie down.

After a sigh, Sawyer walked unsteadily back to Kate's tent, since it was the closest thing he could find. Sun had put on some clean sheets for him to lay on, but he didn't even care. As soon as he hit the make-shift bed, he fell into a deep but uneasy sleep, with Kate as the last thing he saw.

Kate was shaking Sawyer, trying to wake him up. He was shaking in his sleep again. He did this often, as if he were always having nightmares. She was beginning to worry about him. Everytime she asked what he dreamt about, he would just shrug it off and come up with a good line and she'd quickly forget about it.

It had been a couple of days since Sawyer's little spell. He still had quite a large bruise on his forehead, but a cold cloth had helped bring the majority of the swelling down. Sawyer didn't exactly end up personally thanking Sayid for his concern and help, but he understood.

Sawyer hadn't stopped thinking about the nightmare. Or vision. He didn't even know what to call it. He didn't even know if it was true. He wished that it was both real and not. If it was, it would give Jack a chance to escape and get back to the island. The young woman in the dream seemed trustworthy and like she was willing to help him. Unfortunately, if the dream was true, it would not mean good news for the camp. Karl was the one that Juliet was talking to over the walkie, and it sounded a lot like he was at the survivor's camp. _Did you begin the plan yet?_ Ringed in his ears. What kind of plan? And Juliet said that they couldn't make the same mistake of taking the wrong ones. Were Sawyer and Kate not meant to come to Alcatraz? And he couldn't forget _when it's time, call the security system. _Hadn't the French woman called the monster a security system before?

"Whatch'you thinking about?" Kate had been watching Sawyer sleep again. She had sort of moved into Sawyer's tent, though it wasn't anything official. She laid there, just watching him, though he didn't realize that she was staring at him.

"Why you always starin' at me, Freckles? My face so dang adorable that you have to inspect it while I'm snoozin'?" He was trying to avoid her question. She could tell.

"You answer first." She said, with a grin. She had a feeling that he might open up to her if she tricked him in a way like this.

Sawyer yawned, and then sighed. He was avoiding telling Kate about the dream since it happened, but he knew that he couldn't keep it bottled up inside forever. He had to tell someone.

"Alright, Sasafrass. How 'bout this. YOU answer ME first, and then I'll be next." She looked at him with a smile, and was about to reply with a 'what does that do for me?' answer, before he continued. "And I'll add a little bonus for you." He gave her a wink and she knew what he was talking about. He had such a dirty mind sometimes, and she secretly loved it.

Kate gave him a slightly disgusted look, but went ahead with his proposition. "Deal." They shook hands formally, but he grabbed her arm quickly and gave her a peck on the cheek. He loved the smell of her.

"Okay, so, I'm always watching you while you sleep because you know how you're always trying to count my freckles?" He couldn't help but stroke his finger over them when she mentioned them. "Well, I'm always trying to see how many times you smile in your sleep, so I can see your dimples." She couldn't help but blush as she spoke of her little secret.

Sawyer felt slightly embarrassed. Ever since he was younger, he was always teased because of his huge dimples. They even showed when he was mad, which wasn't a very macho thing about a man. But to think a woman actually WANTED to see them? He was happy.

"Well, hell Freckes, you can ask to see these happy things anytime you'd like!" He smiled, making Kate giggle at his comment.

"Alright, cowboy," she spoke. "Now it's your turn. So tell me. What's been going on with the nightmares?"

Sawyer was sort of frightened to tell her. He didn't want to make her worried, but he wanted her to know so she would be cautious. He knew she could protect herself, but he was still scared for her. "Well, the thing is Freckles, I had this weird dream of.."

Kate was waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. He wasn't even looking at her anymore. Something outside the tent flap had caught his attention and he seemed very interested in it. He didn't even bother to put on a shirt, yet any pants over his plaid boxers. He quickly stood up and ran out of the home.

"Sawyer! Where the hell are you going!"

Sawyer stopped and looked back at her. He walked over and gave her a huge kiss, and she could feel the fear inside of it. When they finished, he breathed "I love you, but I've gotta go follow Karl into the jungle."


	8. Shock of the Century Or on the Island

Chapter 8  
Shock of the Century. Or on the Island.

Sawyer was keeping Karl in a clear view distance while following him through the jungle. He realized that he was being unrational, plummeting through a mystery jungle with no water, and barely any clothes on his back, and basically following a dream. For all he knew, Karl could just be going out for a piss, but Sawyer wasn't going to take any chances. He felt as if he had to take charge, now that Jack wasn't there. He had to take care of the camp, protect it.

Karl seemed to know where he was going. He stopped shortly every once and a while, inspecting some trees, as if he knew them by heart and had memorized them as markings somehow. If Sawyer had been wearing his usual hiking boots, he would have been quickly heard, crunching through the rough jungle. But he was barefoot and quietly sneaking through the branches and leaves. But the rough ground was definitely taking a toll on the soles of his feet. They were aching with pain, but he couldn't stop. He just had to figure out where Karl was going.

The con man quickly became weak, and needed to catch his breath. After a quick breather for about thirty seconds, he ran ahead and desperately tried to find the trail of the teenager, but even he knew that he was a horrible tracker. He walked around for half an hour, looking everywhere for a sign of movement again. It was beginning to get dark, and when Sawyer was about to give up and go back to camp, he heard something.

Someone – or something – was coming towards him. He could feel their presence, and could hear the snapping of branches on the ground. There was more than one of them. Suddenly, five torches were lit around him, similar to when the Other's had used Kate as bait for the guns. _Kate, _he thought. He was beginning to become frightened by the thought of them having her, taking her away from him.

"I know you're there, you bastards, so why don' you just stop with the ol' hide 'n seek games?" Sawyer tried to hide the worried tone in his voice, but he didn't succeed.

"We weren't trying to hide, James."

Suddenly, Ben walked out from behind him. He didn't look armed, which gave Sawyer some relief. He was now regretting not getting prepared for this little trek.

Benjamin began to speak again. "That's why we lit the torches, so you would see us. So you would stop following Karl-"

"What the hell do you people want from us?" interrupted Sawyer. This was the question that everyone wanted answered, and he figured that maybe they would answer it if he just asked it out bluntly. "You people 'been killing us, kidnapping us, hell, stealin' babies! Why are you doin' this?"

Ben stared at Sawyer for a long moment. He had a blank expression painted on his scarred face, then spoke. "Rousseau is not one of us, James. We thought you would have believed that by now. And the killing, the kidnapping, it was all for your own good. We were trying to help you. By the way, didn't you realize that you've been doing the same things to us?"

Sawyer thought for a second. The guy was right. Charlie had killed Ethan, Ana and Eko had supposedly murdered three of "them", and Jack and Locke had even kidnapped the man he was now staring at, in a cell for a week. Almost like he had done to Sawyer, Kate and Jack.

The Other could tell that Sawyer was deep in thought, but he wasn't finished yet. "James, we need to have a little discussion. And it's serious, so no jokes this time, alright?" This man was talking to Sawyer as if he was a child. He reminded him of his father. His real father. But he didn't like the tone in his voice. Sawyer didn't really see the harm in having a conversation with the man, so he silently nodded.

Ben motioned Sawyer to sit down on a log, that seemed to have been placed there purposely. He obliged, and cautiously lowered himself onto it. He knew that there were others watching him, observing his every move, so there was no point in making a run for it.

"So James, how's island life? Nice to be out of a dirty cage again, I expect." Sawyer remained silent, which was quite different from his usual mouthing-off. "Sorry about that, by the way. There were no more cells left to hold you in. Thought you might like the fresh air too." He tried to smile warmly, but it just freaked Sawyer out more than he had already been in the first place.

"I'm wondering, what would you be willing to do for love?" Sawyer couldn't hold in his retort this time. The mention of love made him think of Kate, and the thought of having this creep mentioning her was just cruel to him.

"What the hell kinda question is that, 'Henry Gale'?" Sawyer purposely called him by his former false name, to make him remember how he was supposed to trust a man who had lied to them all.

Benjamin grinned at the comment. "The reason I'm asking, James, is because we have a little job for you. Bring her out, Tom!"

Sawyer got goose bumps all over his body. The last time he had heard those words escape a man's mouth, was in almost this exact predicament. Mr. Friendly came out, holding a woman who had her hands tied behind her back. A bag over her head, yes, but Sawyer knew who it was. He could recognize that fear that escaped from her mouth anywhere.

Almost instantly, Sawyer stood up and began to step forward, to take her away from their hands. But then, he noticed the gun pointed at her head. He looked at both Tom and Ben, but neither of them were the hands that were holding the gun threatening her. Suddenly, a shadow moved from behind Kate.

When Sawyer was the face of the person with the gun, he really could not believe it. He couldn't understand how this was possible.

Jack Shephard stepped out from behind Kate, with an expression of pure glee on his face.

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Hahaha, cliff-hanger, wooo! Some pretty intense stuff going on now! I'll update soon! Got some great ideas! 

Peace, Shelbyyy!


	9. Compromising

Chapter 9  
Compromising

The look on Jack's face wasn't even believable to Sawyer. Firstly, the man barely smiled, and now, secondly, he looks happier than a jay bird while pointing a gun at the woman who he had supposedly, had strong feelings for.

Sawyer had so many feelings towards Jack rushing through him, he didn't know which to release first. "What the hell.. Jack, what the hell's wrong with you! That's Kate!" Jack simply continued to smile.

At the moment she heard Sawyer say her and Jack's real names, other than their nick-names, Kate became extremely frightened. She knew that Sawyer only used their true names when something was seriously wrong. She whimpered, louder than she could help, and Sawyer was beginning to shake with anger. How could Jack be doing this to her? To him?

"So this is the deal, James," Sawyer had almost forgotten about the Others. Ben cut through his thoughts. "Jack-o here will let your precious Kate free, if you go back to your camp and continue living as if Karl is just a normal survivor on this island."

Sawyer couldn't believe what he was hearing. How did they know that he knew about Karl? Were they some kind of mind-readers?

"And James, if you even try to tell the others about him, and about this little meeting," Ben stepped forward so close to Sawyer's face, that their eyes were practically burning through one anothers. "I'll come back for her, and your doctor here will finish off what he could be doing right this second."

"You touch one hair on her head and-"

"It's either a done deal, or .. well, done." Ben let a raspy laugh escape from his cruel lips.

Sawyer looked the man, knowing that he had to accept to this deal if he wanted Kate to survive. He looked at Kate, seeing her shaking almost uncontrollably now. He had to hold her, to protect her. Without even bothering to look at the horrid man, he replied quietly, "Deal."

As soon as Sawyer said this, Mr. Friendly reacted. He pulled the burlap sack off of Kate's head, revealing the frightened woman. He pushed her forward and she instantly ran into Sawyer's arms. They just stood there, knowing that it was all going to be alright, now that they were together. Sawyer whispered in her ear, "I'll never let that happen again, I promise."

She caught her breath for a moment, from in between harsh breathing, and replied, "I know."

While Sawyer was still comforting her, he watched as Tom had to force Jack to lower his gun and return back in the direction that they came from. He heard Tom saying distantly, "Jesus, Ben, we need to do something with this one. Think that cassette was too strong?"

Ben quietly spoke, "No, it was perfect."

Shortly afterwards, the torches were put out and then, the only sound left was the frightened breathing of the couple. "We better get back," said Sawyer.

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Sawyer and Kate were caught up in their own thoughts as they walked, hand in hand, back on the long journey through the night back to camp.

Kate thought of how Sawyer hadn't even thought or been mad about how she had followed him through the jungle without him knowing. Jack had been furious and wouldn't even speak to her, but Sawyer only cared about her safety. She tightened her grip on his hand. This was where she wanted to be.

Sawyer had been thinking about what would have happened if they had hurt Kate. He could barely think of how he would react. It was all just too much for him to comprehend.

He also couldn't stop thinking about Jack. What the hell had been wrong with him? The way he was acting was nothing at all like his usual self. He would never threaten Kate in any way like that. And what was with Tom thinking the cassette was too strong? What kind of cassette was he talking about?

His dream must have been correct. Karl was up to something. He remembered that Juliet had told him to call the security system when 'it was time'. Was that what he had been doing, out in the jungle?

They soon got back to camp. People looked at them strangely, probably because Sawyer was still wearing nothing except a pair of boxers. He suddenly felt very embarrassed. Charlie came up to them and asked, "Hey guys, where've you been all day? You just ran off this morning and got the whole camp bloody worr-"

"How 'bout it's none of your business, Tatoo?" interrupted Sawyer. He reminded himself that they couldn't tell anyone about what had happened out there today, especially about Karl. As hard as it was for him to lie, he was used to it, so it was easier than he thought it would be.

Kate fell asleep in Sawyer's arms that night, still in shock from what they had experienced that evening. Neither of them had barely spoken a word to each other, not out of anger, but out of comfort. They knew that neither of them had to say anything to express their feelings of what they had felt out there.

Sawyer didn't sleep for a while after Kate had drifted off. He had too much on his mind, thoughts racing. He stared at the woman's calm face, the most at peace he had seen her in days. He realized that he couldn't let her be alone again for a long time. Not because he didn't trust her, but because of the Others. Because of Karl. He knew that he would never be able to trust the Island again.

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So that's it for now, folks! Wow, less than 3 days 'till Lost comes back! Can you even believe it's been over three months since we've seen Skaty!!? It'll be here soon, so no worries!! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Peaceee, Shelberatoor!


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